The worst is when you need a boost, and the Superman Juice is right there, and you don't drink it. That's the current plight of the Warriors, according to forward/center Jermaine O'Neal.

Golden State not only has gone cold shooting, but has lost five of its past eight home games. Four of those setbacks were to losing teams. That's simply no way to behave in front of a home crowd that has filled Oracle Arena for 61 straight games.

"That's something that we've got to relish, because there are a lot of arenas that are half empty and have good teams," O'Neal said after practice Wednesday. "This arena is packed every single night and we've got to take advantage of that. That's got to be our Superman Juice."

O'Neal returned to the court in Tuesday's 91-75 loss to Charlotte after he missed 26 games because of wrist surgery. The Warriors shot a season-low 31 percent, their worst clip since a 27.5 percent game in 2004, and have shot below 38 percent in three of their past four games.

Worse, O'Neal said, he and his teammates didn't show any mental toughness and let down the home fans.

"Our fans are waiting to get crazy," O'Neal said. "They are waiting to get loud. And sometimes we just don't give them (anything) to cheer for.

"I don't care if we're down 15, if we score two straight baskets, it's going to get loud and crazy, and that energizes us. ... We should be ashamed of ourselves for (Tuesday) night."

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said the team is not going to panic, and when asked if there was a change he could make to the starting lineup Thursday against Chicago, he said no.

"You show me a guy on that bench that's played well enough to force my hand to change it," Jackson said. "We're not going to overreact individually or collectively."

He stressed that the Warriors shot 16-for-51 in the paint Tuesday, and that both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson missed wide-open shots, and that's not going to happen very often.

Center Andrew Bogut agreed.

"We're not going to miss layups and 2-foot shots every game, so I think we'll be fine," Bogut said. "There's no need to push the panic button. There's no need to change our offensive sets."

But like O'Neal, Bogut is getting frustrated with the roller-coaster ride of this season, and both players said Wednesday they sense teammates relaxing when things go well.

"It's disappointing when you have to come in here and talk about not executing properly, not having energy, not coming out with the right intensity," Bogut said. "They're not things you can drill. You can't come to practice and have a drill to work on energy. That's the mind-boggling thing."

Golden State should be positioning itself for home-court advantage in the playoffs, and not fighting merely to get in the postseason, O'Neal said. The Warriors are tied for sixth in the Western Conference and are only a half game up on Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot.

"I don't want us to be in a position come late March, early April, and we're fighting for our playoff lives," O'Neal said. "If you back into the playoffs, all you're doing is giving yourself another week of practice."

O'Neal, by the way, had nine points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes in his first game back and said his right wrist was sore Wednesday. He said he is not concerned about that.

"There is no switch to be flipped in this league, you have to develop good habits and toughness," he said. "Hopefully, we can give (the fans) something to be proud of."

Warriors on Thursday

Who: Bulls (24-24) at Warriors (29-20)

Where: Oracle Arena

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: TNT/680

Of note: The Bulls swept the Warriors last season, including a 113-95 win in Oakland in which Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were held to 15 points on a combined 5-for-22 shooting. ... Thompson said Wednesday his slump is frustrating. He is averaging 13.8 points and 29.4 percent shooting over the past five games. ... Chicago is 2-2 on its six-game road trip. Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 101-92 win at Phoenix. ... The Bulls, who lost Derrick Rose to injury and traded Luol Deng for cap space, are second in the NBA with 92.8 points allowed per game.